Uganda’s rural poor battle worsening, emerging disabilities amid recurring disasters
These harsh weather conditions have greatly affected rural communities where people are struggling to adapt and rebuild lives.
Locals and Uganda Red Cross officials exhuming bodies of victims buried by landslides in one of the Bududa landslides in Eastern Uganda.
Landslides in Bulambuli district on May 25, 2023, caused by a heavy downpour. (Credit: Uganda Red Cross) Edson Bwahinda, who lost a leg in landslides in Ihindiro sub-county, Kasese district. (Credit: Davis Buyondo)
“I can barely sit, stand, or walk without assistance. It will be by God’s mercy to walk again, normally,” says 47-year-old Wilson Musisi, a survivor of a violent waterspout that devastated communities in Kalangala (Ssese Island), Uganda’s largest archipelago on March 15, 2025.
Musisi, a commercial motorcyclist, suffered a spinal injury when a house collapsed on him during the incident. Apparently, he cannot sleep due to excruciating pain a few months after the incident. “As a sole breadwinner, I can not provide for his family. We (family) rely on handouts from good Samaritans, but how long will it last?” he wondered.
The waterspout triggered a tornado-like storm that claimed four lives, including a police officer, and destroyed dozens of structures, including houses, shops, a disability home care centre and the main Police Station destroyed in Kizzi, Kalangala and Buggala villages.
Also, Jamira Nakiganda sustained a spinal injury during the incident. As a result, she developed paralysis in her legs. “I am now receiving physiotherapy to help regain the ability to walk again normally,” she says.
Uganda, like many other countries in the Global South, continues to experience extreme weather events. Over the years, the East African country has suffered prolonged droughts, waterspouts, floods triggered by persistent torrential rainfall, landslides, frequent lightning strikes, and intense heat.
These harsh weather conditions have greatly affected rural communities where people are struggling to adapt and rebuild lives. In the aftermath of these tragic events, the critically injured may not live normal life again as they are likely to face permanent physical and mental disabilities.
Amid all these crises, there is an often-neglected issue - how climate change is consistently worsening disabilities, especially in remote communities.
These climate disasters not only displace people or destroy property, but also create new disabilities and worsen conditions of existing PWDs particularly in communities without quick emergency response and healthcare access.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) 2024 National Population and Housing Census report, the number of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) increased from 4.4 million in 2014 to 5.5 million. However, there is no data-base for individuals who got permanent disabilities from climate-related events.
On April 3, 2025, one teacher died and 15 pupils were injured after lightning struck Sserinya Primary school in Nyendo-Masaka City. But another teacher - Florence Nambalirwa fears her broken leg may result in a permanent disability.
Eastern Uganda
Kalangala is not alone as several communities in Uganda’s Eastern region have battled landslides and devastating consequences. Bududa, Sironko, Manafwa, Bulambuli, and Namisindwa districts have experienced similar deadly landslides since 2010 leaving many people dead and dozens injured. According to UNICEF, the recent incident occurred in Bulambuli district on November 27, 2024.
The landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, buried several houses in several villages, killing at least 15 people, 24 severely injured, 40 households, 1800 displaced, and 125 others still missing. Affected villages include Buzemulili, Masoola, Masubu, Mamono, Nameche Trading Centre, and Tangalu, in Buluganya sub-county.
Apart from a few survivors with physical disabilities, so many in Bunambutye Resettlement Centre, are suffering from PTSD and mental disability.
Ibrahim Waneroba 20, a landslide survivor, is currently living with PTSD and a mental disability after a landslides event that occurred 15 years ago in Bududa. “We rushed him to hospital but he did not fully recover,” says his father Patrick Syepe.
Filis Nandutu, formerly a resident of Busebangwe village, Bukalasi sub-county, Bududa district, sustained a broken foot along with severe chest, back and femur injuries during the 2010 incident and walks while limping. However, despite receiving treatment all these years, she continues experiencing recurring chest, back and femur pain and swollen foot and can hardly move.
Jackline Nasiyo, from Bulugunya parish, Bulugunya sub-county in Bulambuli district, lost both her firstborn child and her mother to the November landslides. She is slowly recovering from a minor stroke, which her doctor attributes to the shock of witnessing such a tragic event.
John Sebunyo, from Masugu village in Bulugunya parish, is battling PTSD after he got buried in the same mudslide event. He sustained head and chest injuries, and he is still receiving treatment due to recurring headaches and chest pain.
“I get consistent nightmares, feel like I’m going mad and always depressed,” he recounts. According to Sebunyo, it is so disturbing after watching his parents, sister, wife and his one-year-old baby buried alive.
Moses Nabugomu Wonasolo, the representative of victims in the camp, explains that psychological support from NGOs like Strong Minds has been beneficial,l and some people are getting better. “But some with more severe conditions may take longer to fully recover,” Wonasolo explains.
According to Julius Kidiyo, the Chairperson of the resettlement camp, most of the first settlers in the Bunambutye camp have coped well and are rebuilding their lives
Kasese (Rwenzori Region)
In Kasese, a mountainous district in the Western region of Uganda, both mudslides and floods are the major calamities that cause new disabilities.
According to Josephat Muhindo, the Karambi Group of Persons With Disabilities (KAGPWD), they have registered several people who got permanent disabilities as a result of landslides that occurred in Ihindiro sub-county in 2020 and the following year (2021) in Karambi sub-county.
Jetress Kabuho, a resident of Bikunya village and stone minor in Karambi sub-county lost ... right leg. Kabuho, was trapped inside a quarry when a rock collapsed on her left leg.
“I woke up in hospital to see my leg gone. Now I am permanently disabled because of landslides. I had so many plans but they were abruptly cut short. I thank God I am still alive,” she recounts.
A house destroyed after a waterspout incident in Kalangala district in March 2025.
Also, Edson Bwahinda, once a larges-cale banana and coffee farmer in Bubotyo village in Ihindiro sub-county, lost a leg in a landslide when a huge rock crashed it. Bwahinda, also the Bubotyo village secretary and chairperson for PWDs is unable to look after his family and relies much on his wife for survival.
“That is why climate issues need to be addressed with deeper concern. We realised the media often focuses on the dead, displaced and property destroyed but rarely highlights those who became disabled due to disasters,” he says.
Godfrey Bwambale, the Programs Manager of Karambi group, appealed to the government to always take responsibility for the injured victims by paying hospital bills, supporting them through their recovery process and planning for their long-term livelihoods.
Police, Uganda Red Cross and district officials during a rescue operation in Kalangala following a deadly water spout. (Credit: Davis Buyondo)
KADUPEDI
Peter Baruku, Kasese District Association of Persons With Disabilities (KADUPEDI) says they have engaged the district local government and humanitarian organisations, mainly Uganda Red Cross Society to prioritise assistive devices during evacuation of PWDs.
Baruku notes that many assistive devices are destroyed, forgotten by rescuers or lost during climate disasters, especially floods. “In most cases, rescuers evacuating PWDs forget to carry their assistive devices like crutches, wheelchairs, artificial limbs, walking canes, and others.”
However, he says, this makes life even harder for them in evacuation sites or resettlement camps due to lack of their assistive devices,” he adds.
“In that panic, some are left alone and helpless. They get trapped, injured, or even killed by landslides and floods. Some survive only by God’s mercy, especially those who are blind and deaf,” he explains.
Currently, hundreds of people have been displaced by floods after River Nyamwamba burst its banks on many occasions posing recurring disasters in 2020, 2021, 2013, and 2014. It spread and devastated Base Camp Lower, Kisanga, Saluti, and Mumbuzi, all in Nyamwamba division.
However, in March 2025, the government intervened and allocated over Sh96 billion from the African Development Bank to de-silt the 25-kilometre Nyamwamba catchment area and tackle the persistent flooding that has affected the district for years.
Joseph Singoma, the Kasese District Focal Person for Disaster Management Intervention, says Kasese District is progressively aligning its District Disaster Risk Management Plan (2022–2026) with the principles of disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR).
He adds they have established early warning mechanisms through collaboration with the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA), the Ministry of Water and Environment, URCS, local radio stations and others.
Singoma notes Kasese Hospital and St. Paul HCIV, provide initial medical care for trauma and injury cases resulting from disasters. “The district has facilitated basic rehabilitation services like physiotherapy, wound care, counselling and psycho-social support, and referrals for specialised services,” he adds.
However, Singoma explains that they face persistent constraints in collecting disaggregated data (disability, age, gender) in disaster assessments, training front-line responders on inclusive evacuation and shelter management.
“But we engage PWDs in climate vulnerability mapping through local associations, training local disaster committees to identify, map, and document households with PWDs, establish disability-inclusive shelters like the two pilot sites in Karambi, Kyalhumba with accessible ramps, lighting, and separate sanitation facilities,” he adds.
A house that collapsed on Musisi and sustained a spine injury following a waterspout incident in Kalangala district.
Activists, Local leaders
“Every climate disaster leaves behind new disabilities or worsens already existing disabilities due to poor disaster preparedness and response,” says Patricia Namiwanda, a blind activist in Masaka city.
She is also a victim of climate disaster after breaking her leg following a violent storm in September 2023 that struck their house. “I panicked and tried to escape, missed a step, fell and broke my leg. It took four months to recover, and I still struggle to walk,” she recounts.
According to Namiwanda, the rising number of persons with disabilities often strains the existing limited budget yet individuals with special needs require more support.
Deogratias Puwata, another activist and Founding Director of Kalangala Home for Children With Special Needs, explains that the storm destroyed their classrooms, dormitory, and store, leaving them without shelter.
“Most of them escaped with minor injuries but two children were injured and still recovering. As a result, Nuwagaba is still suffering repeated migraines from the head injury while Nalwoga is slowly recuperating from a hand injury,” he recounts.
Puwata says the children are still traumatised three months after the incident adding that they get nightmares and start screaming. The caretakers have to calm them down and help them back to sleep. “We lack resources to provide adequate counselling for PTSD,” he explains.
Henry Lubuulwa, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner, acknowledges the gaps in disaster response planning. Instead, rely on weather forecasts from the Uganda Meteorological Authority and support from civil society and humanitarian organisations.
“We typically rely on weather forecasts to guide our emergency response unlike events like waterspouts which you can’t tell where to strike,” he explains.
Lubuulwa notes that waterspouts are common in Kalangala (Ssese island) but the recent one was unusually severe. He further blames it on unchecked deforestation for oil palm growing, which has left the land totally exposed.
Richard Musisi, Executive Director of Association of Disabled Persons with HIV/AIDS/TB in Uganda (ADPHA-Uganda), a NGO operating in Greater Masaka Region, says they don’t have resources to conduct surveys about climate-induced disabilities.
Musisi argues that this would be the only way to track affected individuals and enrol them for different PWDs services. “People who became disabled during these climate disasters are not counted and their struggles will always remain unnoticed,” he states.
He pledged to integrate climate-disaster response initiatives into their programs, including safety skills and training on early warning signs to prevent multiple disabilities resulting from natural disasters.
Martin Ssenoga, the Climate Desk Manager at National Union of Disabled Persons in Uganda (NUDIPU), says tracing and documenting people who got permanent disabilities during climate disasters remains a challenge.
Wilson Musisi, a peasant farmer and commercial motorcyclist (bodaboda) who sustained a spine injury during a waterspout incident in Kalengala. (Credit: Davis Buyondo)
“Perhaps, this is something that requires serious consideration by government and humanitarian organisations,” he explains.
Ssenoga says that assistance from people with disabilities in the aftermath of the disaster always comes late. “There is a need for disability-inclusive disaster preparedness planning for mitigation, response and recovery programs,” he adds.
Regarding the impacts of drought and malnutrition, Ssenoga explains that Persons With Disabilities as these conditions worsen their disabilities. “During drought, cases of malnutrition tend to rise in Karamoja region, weakening the immune system and exacerbating existing impairments or disabilities,” he says.
Policy, planning challenges
In March 2023, the Department of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management, in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), in partnership with Compassion International launched a 5-year collaborative program to respond to climate disasters and emergency situations.
Rose Nakabugo, the assistant commissioner in charge of disaster management attributed the fatalities to natural and human-made calamities.
The partnership committed funds for tools and equipment to boost emergency response efforts in Uganda. A report from the disaster department indicates over 1000 people lost their lives between January and November 2023.
Jimmy Ogwang, the Acting Head of Department-Disaster Preparedness and Management at OPM, told New Vision that the disaster department does not have a central database tracking the number of people who acquire disabilities from climate-related disasters.
Joel Kitutu, the Gender and Social Inclusive (GSI) officer at Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), told us that, as first responders, the organisation's mandate is limited to collecting life-saving data during climate emergencies and this is typically done within the first six hours.
“So, the detailed assessment, which may include information on injuries and permanent injuries, falls under the responsibility of District Disaster Management Committees (DMCs) and relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development,” he explains.
PWDs parliamentary representative
Although recognised as essential, the inclusion of Persons With Disabilities in climate-induced disaster response programs remains slow, according to Hon. Acan Joyce Okeny, the Parliamentary Representative for PWDs.
Some of the properties were destroyed after a waterspout incident in Kalangala district in March 2025.
Okeny says there is hope since a revised National Policy on Disability in Uganda (2023) was established to look at and address barriers that hinder full inclusion of PWD. However, all these programs are not without challenges.
“So many people in hard-to-reach areas, such as Mount Elgon region, lack access to disaster preparedness training to prepare for climate-induced disasters. Some lack socioeconomic support, which highlights the need to invest in more inclusive disaster preparedness initiatives and recovery efforts,” she explains.
Expert on loss and damage fund
Fadhel Kaboub, the Associate Professor of Economics, Denison University and Author of Global South Perspectives, told New Vision that climate disasters like floods and landslides not only destroy physical infrastructure and take human lives, but they leave many victims with lifelong physical injuries and disabilities.
According to Kaboub, this is why the loss and damage fund must dedicate specific compensations to climate victims who lost physical abilities after climate disasters.
In addition, he says, the fund must support investments that support individuals suffering from physical and mental disabilities as climate disasters damage infrastructure designed to support them and also strain public services.
“That's why we say for Africa, climate finance is development finance, especially for people suffering from disabilities,” he adds.
Rising numbers, more risk
An estimated 1.3 billion people currently experience significant disability, according to World Health Organisation (WHO). This number is increasing due to population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases.
At a Global Disability Summit 2025 in Berlin, Germany, experts, leaders and disability rights advocates highlighted that people with disabilities are often being left out in climate disaster response programs which has always worsened their situation.
This work was produced as a result of a grant provided by the Africa-China Reporting Project managed by the Journalism Department of the University of the Witwatersrand.